'Plasma's dead. Should I buy plasma?': Ask the Editors
Is plasma still a safe investment? We say 'yes.'
(Credit: Panasonic)Q: "Want to buy a new plasma but don't know that the face of plasma has changed with the withdraw of two of its top players need some advice plasma or LCD?"
-- George Carter, via e-mail.
A: Well George, personally I think there's no reason to avoid buying plasma just because Pioneer and Vizio dropped out.
In case you haven't heard, dear reader, George is referring to announcements by Pioneer and Vizio, two companies from the high end and the low end of the plasma market, respectively. Both will no longer produce plasma TVs. Last week comments by an LG exec sparked speculation that that company was next to drop plasma, although a company press release says otherwise, stating that LG will continue with its 2009 plasma releases, including the PS80 series that we selected as a Best of CES finalist.
Despite seemingly dire news for plasma, we expect LG, Samsung and especially Panasonic to sell a lot of plasmas in 2009. And I'll feel perfectly comfortable continuing to recommend people buy them, assuming they score well in reviews.
Plasma is not dead yet.
Even if it was, George, and 2009 marked the last year for the flat-panel TV technology, there's no reason not to buy one anyway. Manufacturers will continue to stand behind their products, and of course the "obsolete" and "dead" HDTVs will continue to produce beautiful pictures--just ask owners of all those "dead" Pioneer Kuros.
In fact, with the introduction of new 1080p NeoPDP plasmas by Panasonic, which promise better black levels than ever in combination with improved energy efficiency, we see no reason why the technology won't do well, especially among savvy enthusiasts. Even the entry-level entry-level 720p TC-X1 series Panasonic models are quite compelling, currently selling for as low as $800 for a 42-inch version and $950 for the 50-incher and, if last year's PX80 series is any indication, delivering great bang-for-the-buck. Ultimately, if anything can save plasma, it will be competitive pricing.
Samsung and LG, the other two plasma nameplates remaining in the U.S., also performed well last year in our tests, and for 2009 both bring some new innovations, like improved adjust-ability and Netflix streaming for LG, and an inch-thin panel, among other improvements, for Samsung.
Call me a plasma booster, but I hope the technology continues to improve and offer an alternative to LCD for years to come. I've consistently found that the best plasmas outperform the best LCDs in side-by-side comparisons, making them the de-facto choice for buyers whose primary concern is getting the best picture for the money. Check out our flat-panel comparison for all the details, and stay tuned in the next days and weeks as we review the 2009 plasma (and LCD) TVs starting to hit store shelves.


David Katzmaier reviews HDTVs for CNET.
- by krash3x March 7, 2009 7:11 AM PST
- Plasma tv's still do burn in. If you are doing gaming where the crosshairs or any type of targeting display is on screen then you are at risk no matter if they use any kind of picture shifting every few seconds or whatever. I work at a casino that has dozens of plama tvs with espn burnt in on the bottom of them. Yeah problay because that is a static image on the bottom of the screen but also they are suppose to change the possition slightly to prevent that. LCD is for gaming. Plasmas are for movies. No matter how you look at them they are A RICH MAN'S CRT. Mess up and the next superbowl party you have will have the lifetime channels insignia burnt in it.
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- by jenren3200 March 7, 2009 1:15 PM PST
- First of all, plasmas can still burn in....if you are an idiot and pause a static image on your panasonic plasma for 48 hours, then yes it will burn in- luckily on the new models, the burn in (from your stupidity) should also disappear after watching about 1 hr of normal programming. And as for the casino guy- put LCDs to the same test and you will also see espn burnt into their screen- its called image retention or ghosting- same problem- its in the owners manual- just dont be an idot- burn-in on plasma or image retention on LCDs is not a manufacturer problem, they dont force you to mistreat your tv- - if you pay $$$ for your tv, treat it well- i play xbox all the time on mine with no problems- probably b/c i dont play for 12 hours at a time, and many game manufacturers have thought of this image retention problem and made changes to avoid it And its pixel orbiting, not picture shifting, and yes it makes a huge difference- your data seems to be true- about the orignal plasmas- such as the first ones produced. I dont know about anyone else, but i would put my new car against an antique anyday- same thing goes for new plasmas compared to old ones- improvements! So no casino guy- if u pause or watch the superbowl a few times you will not have an issue- at least not with a panasonic- btw- ur LCD has a way slower processing speed for gaming - thats probably why your always losing....im just saying... not to mention, for you LCD lovers out there who worship your lcd because its "bright' just wait a few months- if you are a moderate to heavy tv watcher, your brightness will be reduced significantly- plasmas are rated to last almost 2x as long as an LCD before they reach 1/2 brightness. I know i do not want to pay $2K for an LCD that im going to want to replace in a year
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